Car: Tata Nano
Place on the list: 49
Reason it's BS: The Tata Nano isn't ugly, it's simply space efficient. Given the constraints of price, footprint and upright packaging, it pulls off the microcar shape rather well actually. There are certainly uglier cars on the market in India and China right now.

Car: Ferrari Enzo
Place on the list: 42
Reason it's BS: Save the Enzo's! The Ferrari Enzo wasn't built to win beauty contests, it was designed to showcase Ferrari's F1 racing pedigree and tie those techniques and technologies to their road cars. Form follows function and while it's not classically beautiful it's fast and unique. In any case compared to the Mondial, it's a supermodel.

Car: Plymouth Prowler
Place on the list: 31
Reason it's BS: When the Prowler was introduced in 1997, it was the coolest car on the planet, bar none. Unfortunately it was packed with an engine from an Intrepid, and suspension tuning best described as one-of-a-kind. Despite its glaring flaws and how you might feel about the retro-mod style, it was certainly a car that got people looking. When you spot them today, you turn and look longer than you should, admit it.

Car: Lamborghini LM002
Place on the list: 25
Reason it's BS: BusnessWeek complains about "geometric doors, angular fenders, and a busy hood." Perhaps they forgot it was introduced in 1986 when everything cool was geometric, angular and busy. They don't even mention the fire-breathing (for the 80's) 5.0 liter V12 from the Countach under the hood and the take-no-prisoners attitude. You don't get a moniker like "Rambo Lambo" by being lame.

Car: DeLorean DMC-12
Place on the list: 20
Reason it's BS: Are they joking? The DMC-12? Of any car from the 80's this one still plays well on public streets. The stainless steel body is unique, the ridiculously heavy gullwing doors draw crowds and the fastback style screams 80's coke dealer, and nobody was more up on all things stylish in the 80's than coke dealers.

Car:Subaru Brat
Place on the list: 18
Reason it's BS: Apparently BusinessWeek's too busy adjusting its top hat and monocle to enjoy the finer things in life, like riding in the jump seats in the Subaru Brat's cargo bed. It's even got decent capability for an early soft-roader.

Car: Aston Martin Lagonda
Place on the list: 16
Reason it's BS: Oh come on? Really? The Lagonda? It pushed the limit of longer, lower, wider to absurdity and mixed in out of control braggadocio. By all account it was admittedly every bit British reliable, but who cares? Hire a team of mules to pull it around town as you look out upon the unwashed masses from your obnoxious 80's chariot.

Car:Volvo 240
Place on the list: 13
Reason it's BS: Don't you go messing with the 240 BusinessWeek. You have no idea the depths of Volvo love out there, especially by the boxy-but-trusty 240. We dare you, dare you to find a more dedicated owner base. Fine, it's a bit boring, but so is the Camry and that's not on the list. We actually find it handsome, especially with the quad headlight design. You best watch your back BusinessWeek.

Car: Bricklin SV1
Place on the list: 11
Reason it's BS: Okay, this one's a bit on the ugly side, if you look only at the outside, but it was one of the first cars to push the idea of safety in a sports car, even though because of its heavy construction it wasn't particularly sporty. It's got a logical shape, and the nose is designed to prevent expensive damage repairs. Sure it's a bit cluttered in places, but come on, gull-wing doors.

Car:Chevy El Camino
Place on the list: 1
Reason it's BS: Number one. They've got to be kidding. Two words on this one: Screw. Off. First of all, lumping the entire series into one big pile is just plain ignorant. Secondly, it's rude. The El Camino from the outset was a looker and stayed a dynamite design all the way until the fall in the 70s. But then again, everything was pretty fug in the 70s. If they even try to say the 1960 and 1972 were ugly, they might get a Jalopnik-shaped shoe to the butt.

Photo credit: SuperChevy

Yesterday, in a squeaker, 52% of you felt paying $6,000 for the '88 Samurai was preferable to not doing so. However, nobody got off the stick and did anything about it, slackers. Since you still have that six grand burning a hole in your Dickies, let's take a look at a contender that's two grand more, but about the same size, as that Suzuki.

The 1980s gave us lots of things- Reagnomics, A Flock of Seagulls, and another attempt by Malcom Bricklin to start a car company. Subaru 360s, eponymous Canadian gullwings, and Bertones- Bricklin has left a trail of failed enterprises wheels-up in the roadside ditches of history. In 1985 he turned his attention to the Zastava company in Yugoslavia. Their tiny, Fiat 128-based Yugo entered the U.S. as the cheapest new car available that year, starting at $3995. The Hyundai Excel, which debuted concurrently, was a full grand more.

The Yugo rocketed into a strong sales pace that first year, but proud owners soon realized what had been omitted in order to achieve that rock-bottom price- things like quality materials, drivability, and warranty claims service. The Yugo quickly supplanted the Edsel as the biggest joke in the American automotive scene, and started showing up with greater frequency in junkyards, than on the road.

But that was not before this 1986 example reached our shores, and eventually to Texas where it is currently rusting resting and posing for beauty shots on Auto Trader. Done up in communist red with a complementing taupe interior, this little hatchback comes with much of what made Yugo popular for a nano-second back during Bush I- a 1300 cc SOHC four cylinder good for 45 bhp, rubbery stick shift, and under-hood spare tire placement, pretty much guaranteeing its disintegration from heat the first time you need it.

But $7,999 might seem a little steep for a bone-stock Yugo GV (which stood for Good Value) and this car does pile on the extras. There's a CD head unit in the dash, which is also emblazoned with a Gran Touring Suspension badge off of a Buick Regal, and the four spoke alloys come with smart little Abarth badges on the center caps as a cruel reminder of the kind of cars the AREN'T chosen to be brought to America.

All that adds up to what is being claimed to be the nicest Yugo on the planet, which is sort of like bragging about having the biggest facial zit on prom night. But still, this is an unique bit of history, and if you're going to buy a Yugo, you better get the best one you can.

So, if you were to go down this path, with AAA card in hand, and be in the market for a Yugo, would you consider this $7,999 example to be Nicely Priced? Or is that something that would come after a long night hitting the Crack Pipe, along with a facial tattoo and a Nevada marriage license?

You decide!

Nice Price or Crack Pipe: 1986 Yugo GV for $6,000.(surveys)

Auto Trader or go here if the ad disappears. Hat tip to aSoundofSleep!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

You hear a lot about the De Tomaso Pantera- especially after Vince Neil couldn't even drive one to the liquor store without incident- but the little Italian car company with a love for Ford Cleveland power built other fine automobiles as well. For example, the De Tomaso Longchamp, a mean-looking coupe with 351 snarling Dearborn horses under its hood. Only 409 were ever made, so you're probably breathing a sigh of relief despondent that you can't get one for your personal Hell Project. Not so fast, sport! Jalopnik is on the case, and we've unearthed- yes, that's the word- this 1974 De Tomaso Longchamp with a starting bid of just one dollar... and that's with no reserve, we might add. Some of you who harbor dreams of getting a last-second acceptance into the 24 Hours of LeMons New England race might be taking note of the New Hampshire location of this car, but how could you let a jewel like this get all beat up on a race track? Why, that rust might not be as bad as it looks! And rest assured that this is a numbers-matching car, so you can bank on making a huge profit at Barrett-Jackson after you restore it.

What's your favorite Canadian car company? For us, it's got to be Bricklin. Yes, the man responsible for bringing Subarus and Yugos to our continent also built his own sports car, the Bricklin SV-1. Back in the 70s, the man at the wheel of an SV-1 didn't have to worry about where his next STD would be coming from, because all the ladies were eager to dish up the spirochetes to a Bricklin-equipped gent. While we could have gone with a 351 Cleveland-powered SV-1, this AMC 360-powered '74 model has nine more cubic inches and a big helping of Kenosha Kool. And look- a 4-speed! Jack up the Malaise power output to, say, 500 horsepower and you'd have the best of Early Malaise style coupled with modern-day acceleration. The seller's description would work a lot better without the photographs, we think; words like "excellent" and "beautiful" don't seem to fit the utter basket case challenging project pictured. It appears that the fiberglass has rusted somehow. But hey, the engine runs and the car drives- how hard could it be?

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We know most of you have been asking yourselves, "How in the world can I get a sporty fiberglass car with 5MPH crash bumpers and AMC power?" Well, you're in luck, because we've spotted this beautiful 1974 Bricklin SV-1 for the no-really-we-mean-it amazing price of just $1500! The seller says it has the "Factory Chrysler 340" engine, but we're just about positive it really has the AMC 360 that came in the '74 Bricklins (the Ford 351W was used for the '75 and '76 models). Since this is Project Car Hell, this Bricklin has a few challenges to overcome. There's the little matter of some fire damage around the engine compartment, which hand-wringers might think is a big deal on a fiberglass car. Then there's the salvage title, but the seller promises it's never been wrecked. No word on whether it runs, but we're assuming you'll get a big ol' negatory in that department. If the 360 is toast, that's just all the more reason to drop a souped-up 401 (with 4-speed, of course) in it!

We can thank our tipster friend Ted for this worthy competitor to the Bricklin: a genuine 1969 Fiat 850 Torino! It's Italian, it's a convertible, it's ass-engined, and it's been sitting in the Deep South for more than 15 years. It's probably got a family of water moccasins living under the driver's seat at this very moment, so you know it's just bursting with character! It doesn't run, but the seller feels certain that it's just a matter of getting the timing right. Yeah, that's it! There's a bit of rust, of course, and no doubt every component through which fluid or electrons has ever passed will need replacement (at fantastic cost), but what do you want for $1950, egg in your beer? Come on now, get this super-rare Italian creampuff running and it will be worth all the agony!

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Team Knight Rider debuted back when we were in college, and watching this clip reminds us why we never bothered to stick with it beyond one episode. On the other hand, the above segemnt does feature a water-powered Bricklin (a Bricklin!) — creatively-named Hydro 2000 — that like a seagull, can be handily disabled with the addition of fizzy stomach-calming tablets. – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
KITT vs. Airwolf! [Internal]

If one thinks about it, the only truly great thing Malcolm Bricklin ever did was bring Subarus to America. Other than that, Yugo? The Bricklin? Entirely amusing vehicles, but only if other people own them. So who really expected his venture with Chery to succeed? Well, we kind of did. At least for a while. But now that the Cheries are possibly on board to build the Dodge Hornet, Bricklin's holding the bag, calling the cars' quality not up to snuff, and deciding that Visionary Vehicles is going to design their own automobiles and find a producer in China to build them. We're suddenly feeling like this just won't end well. [Thanks to Kevin for the tip.] – Davey G. Johnson

Bricklin drops Chinese import plan [Inside Line]

Related:
Bricklin Delays Chinese Imports Yet Again [Internal]

Will the Dodge Hornet be made in China? Automotive News reports today that DaimlerChrysler is in "late-stage negotiations" with China's Chery Motors to build a new small car for export, a car most believe will be one based on the Hornet concept (pictured) DCX showed in Geneva earlier this year. DaimlerChrysler executives are mum on the deal, saying they won't announce a small-car partnership until the end of the year. Still, a Chery-Chrysler partnership also calls to question a longstanding bid by auto entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin to bring Chery cars to the US under his Visionary Vehicles badge. According to AN, Bricklin says he won't be closed out by a Chery-Chrysler partnership, and that Chery-built Chryslers will help his cause by legitimizing Chery's production capabilities. He also says his joint-venture with Chery will be finalized by year's end. Either way, Chinese cars are coming, possibly sooner than we think.

Related:
V-Dub Snubbed: Volkswagen out of Dodge Hornet Production Deal [internal]

China's Chery motors last week uncovered the car many say will be its first US-bound export — the V525 crossover. It's the latest incarnation of an MPV-style car entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin has said his Visionary Vehicles company will import to the US beginning in 2007. The V525 was reportedly developed with a dream team that included Lotus and Italy's Bertone design house, and sports a 127 hp, 2.3-liter engine sourced from Mitsubishi. Bricklin has always said his imports will offer the features of a $30,000 car for under $20,000, and the V525 is reported to be loaded with ABS with electronic brake distribution (EBD), traction control, nav system and digital entertainment. Chery says the crossover, which will go on sale there this month, will be offered in North America, but provided no further details — and hasn't confirmed Bricklin's participation in its US business. Interesting times, indeed. (More pics after the jump)

Malcolm Bricklin's bid to bring the first Chinese-built cars to the US has been the object of both scorn and derision. (C'mon, we kid the Malclolm.) Actually, if his Visionary Vehicles venture keeps signing up northeastern dealer heavyweights like Bob Ciasulli and Miller Motorcars — a dealer of Aston Martins, Ferraris and Rolls-Royce models based in Greenwich, Connecticut — he might just have a shot. According to the Connecticut Post, Bricklin's deal with Miller involves selling the M14, a sporty model with a retractable hardtop, designed by Italy's Pininfarina, that looks awfully like the Peugeot 307 coupe-cabriolet. A Chinese-built cabrio alongside $200,000 supercars? It could be the most brilliant marketing-by-association coup of all. Now all they need is a few cars.

Chery to Enter American Luxury Car Market [MPH]

Related:
Bricklin Unveils Visionary Ragtop in Shanghai; Big Dealer Says Woohoo! About Wuhu: Ciasuilli Stoked on Visionary/Chery Deal [internal]

Tim Ciasulli, CEO of Planet Honda and head of the Visionary Vehicles Dealer Board is way stoked. Completely, utterly and totally stoked. Stoked the point of irrational stokedom, in fact. As the head of a a family-owned dealership chain which has sold nearly a million cars, he claims he's never seen an opportunity as incredible as Brickin's Visionary Vehicles/Chery deal. He visited the plant in Wuhu, China and came back raving, saying, "I was in my hotel room in China when the BBC announced that General Motors was cutting 30,000 workers, 25 percent of their workforce.

"If I was not a part of the Chery/Visionary Vehicles venture, I would have felt despair for the auto industry in the United States." Now, all I can think about is that this is the golden opportunity of a lifetime." We're still pretty skeptical of the current Chinese cars, and we think Ciasulli's spewing a bit much in the way of hyperbole, but they are coming whether through Visionary's venture or otherwise and everyone else is gonna have to deal with it.

Ciasulli Says Chery/Visionary Vehicles Joint Venture Is Solid Gold For The American Market [The Auto Channel]

Related:
Chery Issues Recall, Cows GM [Internal]

It's an up and down day for Chery. Bad news first: they've issued a recall for their Oriental Son (It ain't me! It ain't me! I ain't no Party Member's son!) having to do with a faulty vanity mirror light that can stay on and drain the battery. It's the first recall by a Chinese domestic manufacturer since the nation's recall laws went into effect, and the automaker's execs are patting themselves on the back, rewarding their own bravery at the issuance. Way to go, kids! You get a smiley-face stamp!

Good news? GM has dropped its suit against Chery, allowing the company to continue to make and sell the QQ, which Chevrolet decried as a virtual clone of its own Daewoo-sourced Spark/Matiz. Mr. Malcolm Bricklin says that his Visionary Vehicles will import the QQ to the US, beginning in 2007. Ironic, a copy of a foreign-market Chevrolet vehicle designed by a Korean manufacturer and built by the Chinese. Sheebus, all of this globalizin' and and IP law bidness is making our poor, addled little head spin. Is it Thursday yet?

Chery recalls vehicles over mirror fault [China Daily]

Related:
Chery to Bricklin: Don't Bogart the Cash, Mal [Internal]

Visionary Vehicles has run into another snag when it comes to bringing Chinese cars to the slavering American masses. Apparently, Bricklin and co. offered two hundred mil in seed money to Chery Automobile to get the ball rolling on development of an American-spec vehicle. Thus far, Visionary's been unable to raise the entire amount from investors and the Chery people are getting a tad anxious. Plus, thus far, Visionary only has one dealership publicly announced, and franchising was supposed to raise a large portion of the cash for the venture.

Beyond the monetary issues, Chery has stumbled upon safety and quality peccadilloes when it comes to American tastes and safety standards everything from exposed corners on dashes that would fail crash tests to crappy stereos and unorthodox color choices. However, while development for America is stopped in its tracks for now, European development is continuing forward, meaning that Chery may pop the Continent before it deflowers the New World.

Chery's U.S. plan stalls: Bricklin's Chinese partner wants cash — not promises [AutoWeek]

Related:
Spy Photos: 2008 Chery Crossover [Internal]

Former aluminum- siding salesmen (like those played by Danny DeVito and Richard Dreyfuss) could be missing out on the business opportunity of the century, or at least ceding the nascent market to one of their ilk who made a mint in rustproofing during the 1980s (before crashing out, o'course). Hap Hirsh, former owner of undercoating distributor Thermo-Guard, recently signed a deal with Chinese carmaker, Hebei Zhongxing Automobile Co. to distribute the company's SUVs and pickups to the US. Hirsh, who once assisted Malcolm Bricklin — whose Visionary Vehicles firm plans to bring China-built Chery models to the states — in a former business venture, joins David Shelburg Sr. a businessman and former Bricklin associate from Scottsdale, Arizona in the race against Visionary to bring China's cars to the US. We can hardly wait to see the inevitable Barry Levinson movie about them.

Chinese Dreaming: Another U.S. entrepreneur signs deal, aims to import cars to U.S. [AutoWeek]

Related:
Malcolm Bricklin Profile in Inc. Magazine [internal]

Forget what you thought you knew about fashion in da club. Lil' Jon-style goblets? Over. Diamond- encrusted knucks? Can we call you Radio Raheem? Swingin' pendants proclaiming your general steez and/or degree of playatasticness? Okay, Mr. Gordon Gekko of the ghetto. No, what all the kids are gonna be rockin' when back to not-going-to-school comes around this year comes down to this: a 14k gold Bricklin charm. After all, ol' Mal pimped us Subaru, did he not?

Bricklin [World of Charms]

Related:
Failed 1970s Sports Car, the Bricklin, Subject of New Movie [Internal]